NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — A man is in custody at the hospital after police say he had firearms in his van outside North Tonawanda City Hall.
North Tonawanda Police Chief Roger Zgolak said authorities are investigating an incident after what was initially suspected as an explosive device was discovered in an olive-colored van outside North Tonawanda City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
North Tonawanda Police Captain Thomas Krantz on Wednesday said the item removed from the van was not an explosive device, adding that there were no bomb-making materials. Rather, Krantz said it was a hitch lock, which could be mistaken for a pipe bomb.
North Tonawanda Police added on Wednesday said there was no indication any of his actions were planned, adding that he appeared to be living on the van in question.
Zgolak says police were notified by North Carolina authorities to be on the lookout for an olive-colored van traveling to Western New York that could have firearms inside. The man driving the car was Timothy Payne, a disabled veteran and amputee.
Zgolak says around 3 p.m. the man went inside the city hall, and officers approached him. The man told police he had firearms in the van parked outside city hall.
Officers then sent him to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for a mental health evaluation and got permission to search his van.
Officers found a loaded pistol, two loaded military-style rifles, approximately 400 rounds of ammunition, and a hitch lock inside.
Police say no explosives were found in city hall, and the lock was removed from the van.
According to police, Payne will be charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and more charges will be assessed pending an investigation.
He is scheduled to appear Friday morning in North Tonawanda City Court.